The Gazette 1974

too that a significant proportion of some relatively

minor offences are extremely difficult to detect. For

example, in 1972, 2,271 bicycles were reported as stolen

but proceedings were instituted in 131 cases only.

One has to be careful when drawing comparisons

in the matter of detection rates but it may be of interest

that the detection rate for England and Wales, ex-

clusive of London, in 1972 was 50 per cent, while the

rate for the London area was 30 per cent.

Summary offences

In the year ended 30 September 1972 the number of

persons charged with summary offences was 190,152 as

compared with 198,157 in 1971. Road traffic offences

continued to constitute by far the greatest category—

135,074 persons were prosecuted for road traffic offences

in 1972 as compared with some 147,442 in 1971. The

prosecution of these offences involves a tremendous

amount of Garda time being spent in court and I am

investigating the Report of the Gommittee on Gourt

Practice and Procedurue which recommended the ex-

tension of on the spot fines to a wide range of motoring

offences. More than 200,000 "fine-on-the-spot" notices

were issued for contraventions of the parking by-laws

and similar offences and in 82,443 of these cases there

were prosecutions.

The Garda Síochána are in the front line of defence

of our institutions and the laws which shape those

institutions. Their task, in a modern society, is a diffi-

cult and complex task and I want to say, and I am sure

I speak for everybody in this House when I say this,

that they are doing a good job, and that their work is

appreciated.

Improvements for Gárdaí

One of the most important ways in which the

Government can make their contribution is, obviously,

by providing the necessary financial resources for man-

power increases, new equipment and so on. The Govern-

ment have recently decided to increase Garda strength,

and the necessary arrangements are being made so that

the extra men may be recruited as soon as

possible. I can state that a substantial proportion

will certainly be assigned to Border areas and the re-

mainder wherever the Garda authorities deem that the

greatest need exists.

Generally, I see the use of computers by the Gardai

which is an inevitable development in this day and

age, as an alternative means of storing information of

the type which the Gardai already acquire and file in

the course of their normal duties. They will be used to

provide a better information retrieval system.

New Radio Control Centre in Dublin Castle

Work is well advanced on the installation of the

most modern equipment in the new radio control centre

in Dublin Castle and it is expected that the complete

scheme will be fully operational within the next three

months. When completed, the centre will be among the

most modern and sophisticated of its kind available.

Radio communication is generally now at an acceptable

level in most areas but the existing radio network is of

a temporary nature. A permanent radio network is

being planned in co-operation with the Department of

Posts and Telegraphs and preliminary work has already

been done in connection with a pilot survey in certain

areas. This survey will be a joint project between the

gardai and the engineering branch of the Department oi

Posts and Telegraphs and work is expected to com-

mence on the survey within the next month or so.

Juvenile Liaison Officers

The juvenile liaison officers' scheme continues to.

operate successfully and since the initiation of the

scheme over 7,600 juveniles have come under the care

and supervision of the juvenile liaison officers and only

13 per cent of these became involved in offences there-

after. One sergeant, 11 Gardai and two Ban-Gharda

are serving full-time as juvenile liaison officers in Dub-

lin; in Cork one sergeant and two Gardai are engage®

full-time and one Ban-Gharda is engaged part-time o

the scheme while in Limerick there is a sergeant full-

time on juvenile liaison work. Waterford has one Garda

full-time on these duties.

The function of a juvenile liaison officer is to maiD'

tain contact with any juvenile assigned to him. Th

juvenile may be one who has committed an offend

and,' having been warned, has been committed to the

care of a juvenile liaison officer. The officer may also be

given the care and guidance of a young person, who»

though not known to have committed an offence, may

be regarded as likely to get into trouble by reason

unsatisfactory behaviour, such as persistent truancy')

running away from home, staying out late at nigh*'

being unruly at school or at home, behaving in a dis-

orderly manner and frequenting undesirable places-

These ca

es come to the notice of the officer through

teachers, parents, school attendance officers or the

gardai.

Law Reform

Law reform is an aspect of my Department's work

which is of special concern to me, and particularly

in the field of family law where there are many matted

requiring urgent attention.

Because of my concern in this area I have, in con-

sultation with the Attorney General, recently established

an informal Gommittee for Law Reform, consisting

myself, as Minister for Justice, the Attorney General

Mr. Justice Brian Walsh of the Supreme Court and an

Assistant Secretary of my Department. The purpose c*

the committee is to examine areas in which law reform

—both on the criminal and civil side—is urgendy

needed and to establish working parties or groups t°

examine particular aspects of the law, concentrating a

{

the outset on matters that are of a social as well us

legal nature. Each working group will, either at the '.uid

of their deliberations or from time to time, make re-

commendations to me as Minister for Justice.

The various working parties will consist of members

of the Judiciary, of both branches of the legal pr°'

fession, of persons engaged in social and charitabl

activities, of representatives of bodies active and

knowledgeable in the particular field, as well as of

officers of Government departments involved in the

problems being examined. This is an experimental

approach and I shall be watching it with the advice

and assistance of the Attorney General. Should it prove

successful, it can be continued and one could foresee

it developing into a full blown Law Gommission.

I attach great importance to this law reform pro-

gramme and the implementation of it will proceed with

all possible speed, subject to the limitation that the

expert persons needed to translate proposals into legisla-

tion are thinner on the ground than I would like and

this perhaps is the first problem to be overcome.